Kazrog: How do I become as awesome a guitar player as you?

Nitronium Blood

Nitronium Blood

UM BOARDS' JESTER
Dec 28, 2001
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I'd love to become a godly guitar player like James Murphy, unfortunately it ain't gonna happen. I'm too old.

I would like to become as awesome as you though, because while James is a God, you are to me a Super-human guitarist, and at this stage in my life I need to learn from a Super-human guitarist to become a 'regular guitar dude' first. If that makes any sense.


So I humbly request:

-What practice regiment?

-What music theory?

Details please. Details.

:cool:

(I'm not drunk, I'm damn serious.)
 
LOL well I'm very flattered to even be mentioned in the same breath as James, and to be deemed a guitar "super human." I don't think that the path I have chosen has ever been one of "I'm going to be the greatest guitar player in the world" or I'd probably be a lot better. I tended to split that time with figuring out how to write, sing, and self-produce.

That all being said, when I was in college, I had a more strict guitar practice regiment than I have had before or since. I would spend 15 minutes a day doing warm up excercises, then 15 minutes focusing on a scale and an arpeggio in all positions. I would rotate which scales and arpeggios I did daily. Then I would spend time learning a particular solo off a record, usually Testament, James Murphy, and Megadeth stuff, occasionally Pantera, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, etc.

I learned all my theory in school, since I was a music major, but I had an outside guitar teacher I went to who was a GIT graduate and helped me apply what I was learning in school to metal/rock/blues guitar leads.

I'd say the most valuable thing, though, is training your ear. Learn songs off CDs, and focus on technique as much as you do notes. I hear a lot of guys jam out on cover tunes who have all the notes right but aren't matching the technique, playing like limp wristed floppy fish. Don't be a floppy fish!
 
Shane, I sincerely thank you for your response.

Now I fully understand from your post that technique is damn important, and I fully believe in this as well. But what I could really use and request are some clear 'where to start' suggestions from you.

Let me take this angle: You have a gig in a month's time and you are on the look out for a gig session player. You put up adverts online and in the local paper. But... suddenly all the guitarists on the planet have been abducted by aliens! Yes!

All except this one guitarist from a hardcore band, who happens to live only a few kilometers away from you. You have no choice. This is your man.

You check him out. He has a good ear as he manages to play the main riff off 'Awaken' as you play it for him. Yes he has good pick attack, an inert strong palm muting skill and his up-down powerchord arpeggios are on the mark. Think 'Stamping Ground'.

The problem is his standard tuning/dropped powerchord riffing, because that is only what he knows Chugga Chugga Chugga!

What steps would you take next, to train him in the world of Backmask? Aside from showing him how to play your songs, how would you challenge his mind so that if he was called upon to play an improvised solo on all your songs live, that he could? Where would you start?

I'm hope my attempts at trying to convey what I'm requesting are successful :)
:)
 
I would start by learning the A natural minor scale in all positions (obviously it's movable, duh) and the A major arpeggio. Then go for A major scale and A minor arpeggio. Play each position over and over until you memorize the shapes and it becomes second nature. Then work your way to more exotic scales and arpeggios, but only when you feel that your core major/minor stuff is solid.

I don't know what else to recommend, without hearing you play. If you can find a good guitar teacher, that can be a big help!
 
Kazrog said:
I would start by learning the A natural minor scale in all positions (obviously it's movable, duh) and the A major arpeggio. Then go for A major scale and A minor arpeggio. Play each position over and over until you memorize the shapes and it becomes second nature. Then work your way to more exotic scales and arpeggios, but only when you feel that your core major/minor stuff is solid.

I don't know what else to recommend, without hearing you play. If you can find a good guitar teacher, that can be a big help!
Click to expand...
This is superb. Thank you very much :)
 
Order these two books:

Guitar Grimoire Vol. 1 Scales and Modes - $16
Fretboard Logic SE - $14

Amazon has them both, and it will be the best $30 you will spend.

The CAGED system (Fretboard Logic is based upon CAGED, named after the open chord shapes for C A G E and D) is the "core" of the guitar in addition to the Major scale. The Major scale is made up of a series of intervals of Whole steps and Half steps (formula being W W H W W W H). The major scale contains the 7 church modes, and Minor/Aeolian is one of them (the 6th mode).

I put it to you not to treat it as trying to memorize a "minor" scale, but rather learning the major scale and treating it as one huge series of interconnecting patterns all over the neck - I think this is where a lot of people fail and give up, hence the overabundance of dudes who just wank on that minor pentatonic box all day long.

Anyways, I don't want to get all long winded here but if you commit to memory the interval relationships and learn the Major scale, you will also know all of the modes without even trying. If something calls for a Lydian feel and the key is F, I never think "ok, this is the Lydian shape for the key of F" I just think of C Major and know that the 4th scale tone is Lydian. So, rather than trying to learn the "A Minor Scale", just think C Major starting on 6th degree. I highly recommend the Grimoire Vol. 1 - it is a must own.

Keep things simple and logical. Then, oddly enough, you have to just forget all that stuff and don't even think about it. =)
 
Yeah, modes are a very important concept to grasp, rather than a whole set of scales to memorize. I'm weird because I base everything off the minor scale, not the major scale, but find a method that works for you to extrapolate the modes. I hate the major scale. :)
 
Is there any places on the net which give a comprehensive look into modes? It's very easy to just find the assorted scales, but without anything relevant to link them all together, that's almost useless.
 
i also hate the major scale. hah. i own that fretboard logic book but as soon as i opened it and found a major scale i just closed it back up./ hah. well maybe after reading this ill take another look at it.
 
My God, you're making geek jokes... We should be very careful, there is a very fine line between "Cool musician" and "Uncool computer geeks", joking about how the core of the Linux Mandrake etc... Let's get back to girls and beer will you ? ;)
 
beeeer. so check this out. i realized after i wrote that last post that ive been using that book as a mouse pad and its just been there for so long i dont even notice it, i was looking all around for it and was like oh... under the mouse.
 
I don't think there is anything at all geeky or computer nerdy about knowing theory and wanting to understand how music works from a mathematical and theoretical standpoint. IMO, it can only benefit, and not detract or sterilize as many seem to think.
 
Kazrog said:
Yeah, modes are a very important concept to grasp, rather than a whole set of scales to memorize. I'm weird because I base everything off the minor scale, not the major scale, but find a method that works for you to extrapolate the modes. I hate the major scale. :)
Click to expand...

I'm the same way, it seems like it's easier to remember the differences when you're centered around the minor scale. That, and it doesn't sound happy. :heh:

Depending on how new youare to scales and guitar, you may find it beneficial to leard the scale intervals on a single string as well as the shapes, it can help you learn to "feel" the scale out a bit more. Also, once you're familiar with the basic shapes, don't forget about your octave shapes; remembering those can help prevent you from being stuck "in the box". Like Kazrog said, after a while (assuming you practice them like you should), you'll leard to feel out scales and modes.
 
Hey now... Without the Mother of all Scales, no one could ever sing Happy Birthday to you... =)

And you'd have no Superman without Lydian... And you'd have no Jeff Beck without Mixolydian...

Love the Mother... smack the ho.
 
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